The Bait and the Burrowers
"Su Ning! Is there really any need to wage such a meaningless war of attrition?!"
"Who are you calling Su Ning?! I'm Mike!"
"Su Ning! Let us fight fair and square..."
"I'm Mike, you son of a bitch!"
"Ah, I see. Fine! Mycol!"
"It's Mike!!"
"Um, Master Mike. I think Kim Tae-hyun is just teasing you..." a guild member whispered, unable to watch the trainwreck any longer.
At those words, Mike's face flushed a deep crimson. "K-Kim Tae-hyun, you bastard... How dare you mock me? I heard you were a master of deception, but to think you'd play me like this..."
Can you even call that a deception?
I think Mike is just an idiot...
While Mike stood there with a burning face, Tae-hyun casually continued.
"Anyway, doing this isn't going to get us anywhere. Don't you agree?"
"Hmph! What nonsense! Are you scared already?!" Mike shouted, but his mind was racing.
The siege weapons we built aren't doing much. Can we even break the walls like this? Kim Tae-hyun will just repair them immediately... Should we launch an all-out assault and then strike the walls? There doesn't seem to be any other way. But an all-out assault will cost us too many casualties...
To the Guild Alliance, Tae-hyun, holed up securely inside the castle, was a massive headache.
"How about this? If you're confident, I'll step outside right now. Shall we settle this in a one-on-one duel?"
"...?!"
Mike was startled. He was coming out to fight in this situation? Doing that now meant he was either a fool, or... he looked down on the Guild Alliance immensely.
"Who do you think you're—"
"Hold on, Mike. If he wants to come out, there's no reason to stop him, is there?" Gonzalez, a high-ranking Paladin, intervened.
Gonzalez's influence had skyrocketed recently due to the Undead Crusade. Paladins and Priests were indispensable when dealing with the undead!
"But that bastard is mocking us!"
"Who cares? If he has the confidence to come out, tell him to bring it on. He's digging his own grave."
"...True enough. Fine! Kim Tae-hyun! If you've got the guts, come out and face us!"
Even as he said it, Mike didn't actually think Tae-hyun would step out. Surely it was just a bluff? Especially with so many eyes watching...
Creeeeak—
But the castle gate opened immediately.
"?!?!"
"He's really coming out?!"
A clamor erupted from the Guild Alliance's ranks. To think he would actually step out!
Tae-hyun, Cain, and a select group of elite undead emerged from the gate.
Riding a majestic skeletal warhorse summoned by the warlocks, Tae-hyun spoke grandly: "Well, I'm out, Mike. Surely you won't back down now, will you? Not with so many people watching..."
"Back down? Hmph! Let's do this!"
A pre-battle 1v1 duel request has been accepted.
If defeated, ally morale will decrease significantly.
If victorious, enemy morale will decrease significantly, and additional rewards will be granted.
"Who's going?"
"I'll go! I've been dying to crush that bastard!"
"Hmm..."
The rankers held a quick meeting. They were all confident in their PvP skills. But their opponent was Tae-hyun—the legendary player rumored to have no equal in PvP. They had to prepare for any outcome.
"The moment the duel ends, regardless of the result, we launch an all-out assault."
"Agreed. Since they walked out on their own, we don't need to show them any mercy."
"Uh, isn't that a bit cowardly?"
"Cowardly? Hey, think about what Kim Tae-hyun has done up until now!"
Everyone nodded. Normally, at least a few would have argued for a fair and honorable fight, but when it came to Tae-hyun, they all agreed it was entirely unnecessary.
"Do you remember how vicious that bastard was back in Pan-On 1... No, never mind. No need to bring that up now."
Some of the rankers present had been thoroughly victimized by Tae-hyun during the Pan-On 1 era.
"Well, Mike wants to go, so why not let him?"
"Since Mike seems so confident, he should do it."
"Hmph. You guys must really lack confidence. Fine, I'll go."
Mike noticed what they were doing. The other rankers were trying to use him as a sacrificial lamb. Facing Tae-hyun was a massive burden. One wrong move and you could get obliterated in an instant. It was a poisoned chalice!
Fools. Being that cowardly will get you nowhere.
But looking at it another way, this was an opportunity. A chance to make a name for himself in front of a massive audience!
Being a ranker in Pan-On sounded incredibly prestigious, but the reality was different. With such a massive player base, there were countless rankers. Unless you did something extraordinary, it was hard to get noticed.
In that regard, Tae-hyun—who cleared major quests solo and won the first Pan-On tournament—was one of the most famous players in the game. Combined with his notorious history from Pan-On 1, almost everyone knew his name.
If Mike fought Tae-hyun in this highly anticipated siege battle, his name would skyrocket in popularity.
If I win, great... and even if I don't, it doesn't matter. Just holding my ground is a win.
Mike finished his calculations. He would focus on defense rather than offense! Just surviving would be a massive profit. Instead of trying to win, he would drag out the fight to make people think, Whoa, who is this Mike guy? He's going toe-to-toe with Kim Tae-hyun!
Clop, clop, clop—
Mike summoned his favorite mount and galloped forward gallantly.
"Fine! Come at me!"
From afar, an opponent rode out on a skeletal horse.
It was Cain.
"..."
"What is this, Kim Tae-hyun?! We agreed to a one-on-one!"
"It is a one-on-one. Can't you count?" Tae-hyun replied listlessly from the back.
Either way, a 1v1 was a 1v1!
Cain sat atop his skeletal horse with a completely expressionless face. He looked like a grim reaper! His aura was incredibly intimidating, but his inner thoughts were a chaotic mess.
Kim Tae-hyun, you absolute son of a bitch...
To send him out for a 1v1 in this situation. Surely he wasn't being used as a sacrificial lamb, right?
No, it can't be. If he wanted to use me as a sacrifice, he would have planted those bombs on me. He didn't, so...
Cain suddenly felt a wave of sorrow. He hated himself for finding comfort in such a thought.
What has my life come to...
As Cain reflected on his life choices, the Guild Alliance players watched in awe.
"Wow, is that guy not even scared? He didn't even blink."
"Seriously, his guts are incredible. He might have more courage than Kim Tae-hyun."
Twitch—
Hearing the murmurs from behind, Mike's brow furrowed. This wasn't good. The opponent was getting all the spotlight!
"Fine! Let's see what you've got!"
Mike growled and kicked his horse's flanks, charging forward.
Hmph, if it were Kim Tae-hyun, it might be different, but against Cain...!
Mike looked down on Cain. Honestly, the other rankers did too. Unlike Tae-hyun, Cain was just a former PK player. And not even a famous one—just a run-of-the-mill PKer.
If he hadn't met Kim Tae-hyun, he'd be a nobody! That was the general consensus on Cain.
Clop, clop, clop—
The two mounted players charged at each other from opposite ends.
Cain, a heavy-armored tank warrior.
Mike, a light-armored, damage-focused gladiator.
Their playstyles were completely different, making the watching rankers curious about how the battle would unfold.
"Still, Mike has a PvP-specialized class. I don't think he'll lose to Cain."
"Surely Mike won't..."
10 seconds before impact.
Cain aimed a skill at Mike.
Mike activated two buff skills. He was ready to leap off his horse at any moment to strike Cain.
5 seconds before impact.
I'll hit him with the chains, pull him in, and stun him.
He's probably going to use a chain skill. If he does, I'll use my horse as a shield and slip behind him.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
1 second before impact.
Rumbleeeee!
The ground split open, and a massive horde of rabbits erupted from the earth.
"?!?!?!?!"
While the enemy was wasting time with meaningless siege attacks, Tae-hyun had ordered his rabbits and undead rabbits to burrow underground. He had to destroy those siege weapons!
Right now, they could defend easily because the enemy was only using those weapons. But if the enemy decided to take the losses and launch an all-out assault, his side would suffer heavy casualties too.
The problem is, how do we destroy them?
It was too dangerous for Tae-hyun to approach and destroy them himself.
Rabbits are definitely the best option.
From his experience attacking various territories, he had realized one thing: rabbits possessed an extraordinary talent for destroying structures and facilities. Plus, their numbers were so vast that losing a few dozen wouldn't hurt at all.
I just need to get them close to the siege weapons... Is there a way?
As Tae-hyun pondered, his eyes fell on Cain.
Tae-hyun grinned.
"..."
"Why are you smiling at me like that?"
"Haha. Come over here for a second."
"Kim Tae-hyun!! You cowardly bastard, again...?!"
"Ah, I didn't interfere in the 1v1, so don't worry."
Ignoring Mike's shouts, Tae-hyun dashed forward.
The Guild Alliance tensed up at the sight of the rabbit horde suddenly bursting from the ground.
"Be careful! They might look cute, but they are incredibly vicious!"
Rumors had already spread because other territories had been ransacked. Rumors that Tae-hyun led a horde of crazy rabbits!
And now, Tae-hyun himself was charging forward.
"Everyone, advance! Rankers, take down Kim Tae-hyun! The rest of you, kill those rabbits!"
"...Are we seriously supposed to waste our magic on rabbits?"
"Hey, shut up and just do as you're told."
The high-level players who didn't know the true power of the rabbits grumbled, but the guild leaders remained cold and calculated.
Archisus's Blessing
"!"
Tae-hyun immediately activated the skill.
There were two reasons why he had the rabbits burst out midway instead of burrowing all the way to the siege weapons. One was to avoid detection. The other was to cast this party buff on them!
Fwoosh! Crash! Crackle!
All kinds of spells and skills rained down on the swarming rabbits.
However, most of the rabbits remained completely unharmed.
The evasion effect triggered by his absurdly high Luck stat!
"?!"
Tae-hyun immediately spun around.
Now that the buff was applied, his job was done.
Time to head back to the castle!
Tae-hyun coolly abandoned the rabbits he had sent forward!
"W-What?"
"What the hell is that..."
The players facing the incoming wave of rabbits froze. They had never fought this many rabbits in their lives.
"How ridiculous..."
"They're just rabbits! What can they even do?!"
But the rabbits ignored them, charging straight past.
Their target was only one thing: the siege weapons!
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—
"Where are they going?!"
"What is wrong with these things?! Why does 'Evaded' keep popping up?!"
Even when they swung their weapons, Tae-hyun's blessing ensured that only "Attack Evaded" messages appeared.
Meanwhile, the rabbits swarmed onto the siege weapons.
"L-Look at that!"
"They're targeting the catapults! Block them! Block them!"
Wrathful Strike!
Boom!
"What kind of idiot uses an AoE skill right next to a catapult?! Do you want to die?!"
"I-I'm sorry!"
The same chaos that had plagued other territories was repeating itself here. Once the rabbits latched onto the siege weapons, they were incredibly annoying to get off. Because of their sheer numbers, players had to use area-of-effect attacks, which ended up damaging their own siege weapons.
Even after the buff wore off, the rabbits were still a nightmare to deal with!
"How on earth is this... Urgh!"
Mike, who was trying to assess the situation through the guild chat, felt a heavy impact and gritted his teeth.
Cain was grinning down at him.